iPhone users: what does Android have that you want?

We want the honest truth, nothing but the truth.

In our last poll, we asked which smartphone Ars readers were currently using and a significant portion—about 35%—answered that they were iPhone users. This made us curious about whether there is anything that Google's Android has that might get those iPhone users to say sayonara to Apple's closed ecosystem.

So tell us: what does Android have that might tempt you to leave your iPhone and switch? Is it a feature? A specific Android phone? Perhaps you're interested in the open source nature and customization of Google's mobile operating system? Let us know with one of the poll answers below, and feel free to elaborate on your decision in the comments.

368 Reader Comments

As for me, since I own a MacBook Pro and don't have a Google anything, syncing is a serious pain that I'd rather not have to deal with.

It's easier than you think. I own a MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard and a 27" iMac running Lion. I also have a HTC Android phone and an Asus Android tablet. So I'm in the same Apple-Google sync world you might be in.

Google Drive has a Mac app that syncs your Google drive folders to your local hard drive. So when on my iMac or MBP, my cloud storage opens immediately (even if I'm not in 'Net range), and syncs within a few minutes of making a change. It's very convenient and reliable.

And Google Play works well with iTunes. I synced all my iTunes purchases to Google Play's cloud storage (I had to buy "iTunes Plus" on some of my older purchases to get rid of DRM). Since syncing, I've bought music from both the iTunes store and the Google store (Amazon's store as well), and all files stay synced between iTunes on the Macs and Google Play on the phone/tablet.

As for e-mail, calendar, and task list, I've been using web clients for those for nearly a decade. No worries about syncing there.

So you see that syncing between ecosystems is pretty easy. I don't want to judge which mobiles OS is bettter. But I hope I clarified that your choice of desktop OS doesn't dictate your mobile OS decision.

Best of breed industrial design. Nothing in the Android eco-system comes even remotely close. The original Nexus was probably the closest.

UI design that feels complete & consistent. Metro is currently my favorite, though it’s such a strict design language I can already see places where it falls apart. On the other end of the spectrum you have Android which seems to have no rhyme or reason even in “internal” apps.

Cliched as it may be, I love that I unpack/update my Mac/iOS devices and they “just work” AirPlay, iCloud, iTunes Match, etc… When I’ve tried the equivalent on Android it’s rarely that simple – the notable exception being the Fire. Even something simple like purchasing music from Google Play was arduous, though that was a year ago right after it launched, perhaps they’ve fixed the UI problems.

As for me, since I own a MacBook Pro and don't have a Google anything, syncing is a serious pain that I'd rather not have to deal with.

It's easier than you think. I own a MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard and a 27" iMac running Lion. I also have a HTC Android phone and an Asus Android tablet. So I'm in the same Apple-Google sync world you might be in.

Google Drive has a Mac app that syncs your Google drive folders to your local hard drive. So when on my iMac or MBP, my cloud storage opens immediately (even if I'm not in 'Net range), and syncs within a few minutes of making a change. It's very convenient and reliable.

And Google Play works well with iTunes. I synced all my iTunes purchases to Google Play's cloud storage (I had to buy "iTunes Plus" on some of my older purchases to get rid of DRM). Since syncing, I've bought music from both the iTunes store and the Google store (Amazon's store as well), and all files stay synced between iTunes on the Macs and Google Play on the phone/tablet.

As for e-mail, calendar, and task list, I've been using web clients for those for nearly a decade. No worries about syncing there.

So you see that syncing between ecosystems is pretty easy. I don't want to judge which mobiles OS is bettter. But I hope I clarified that your choice of desktop OS doesn't dictate your mobile OS decision.

I need to look into this, it might be exactly what I need...thanks for posting!!!!

I recently switched from Android (Galaxy S. Ugh) to iPhone (4S). Nothing would ever get me to switch back, but I do miss the many Kairosoft games that aren't available on iOS. Kairosoft is about the only developer who gives preference to Android, which is a shame since they make some of the best mobile games around.

4) OS updates - my last android was a lame-duck with a stunning screen (Samsung Infuse) that was simply abandoned. The previous one was updated once and that was it - my ancient (?) 3GS got OS6 on release....

5) An iPod compatible socket so that it plugs into my car as neatly as my iPhone.

6) iCloud Music integration - Yes I have tried Google Play, but I have 20K songs on/in iCloud and this is incredibly useful when I want to listen to something at the gym etc.

There are probably more, but I have switched back an forth three times and every time I have been left disappointed with Android. I currently own an iPad an iPhone, Galaxy TAB (OG and 10.1) and in the office have several iPhones (3gs/4/4s/5) for testing along with several androids (Galaxy Nexus/S2/S3/RAZR etc).

I'll tell you why I ditched my iPhone 3G back in the day... I hated how the OS is layed out (things like not being able to post a picture straight to FB from the camera app), the fact that they were essentially forcing me to pay $.99 to get a custom ring tone (yes I know it's a neglible amount, I'm going off of principle), not being able to set a custom sms ringtone without jailbreaking. It's so massively annoying when you get a text and 5 other people look at their phones because no one's sure who actually got it.

All of these things are fixed in today's iPhone, FWIW. - Sharing to FB/Twitter/Photo Stream etc. is prevalent throughout iOS 6.- Making your own ringtones was always free, you don't HAVE to buy them from iTunes. This was just a user education issue (Apple doesn't promote the ability to make ringtones at all; you need third party tools).- iOS 6 lets you customize way more of the system default sounds. SMS sound has been customizable for years actually, but things like the email sound have only recently been changeable. (I agree that this was long overdue! Everyone in my office has an iPhone and the email beep causes everyone in the room to check their screen.)

I answered "None of the above", because I'll ditch it in a heartbeat if something better comes along, but none of the above are interesting.

* Bigger displays: God no. I honestly think that the 4" iPhone is too large. Now, if you had said SMALLER displays, now there maybe* Android user interface: Please don't joke. The first iPhone I used, I found everything directly. The first Android I used, I felt like I had a learning disability or something. Not that I couldn't learn it, but it's hardly a positive.* Google's ecosystem: Trade one ecosystem for another. Apple has more apps for now, but they both have enough. No problem either way.* NFC: Maybe when there is a use for it.* Widgets and home screen customization: This is the closest, because I would really like that, but it's nowhere near enough.* Google maps: I can use Safari for that. Also, I don't have problem with the maps in iOS 6, and I never had transit support anyway where I live while the new maps at least offer a plugin opportunity, so that's a net win.* Making third-party software the default: Would be nice, but again, not that big a deal* Android's visible file system: God no. If there's a visible file system, there is the idea that the average user can find and use that. I don't want to admin another device (my own phone), much less ten more (from various friends and family). Honestly, this is a deal-breaker in itself. I can claim to now know Android to get away from things like that, and that would be a hard thing to do with an Android phone of my own.* A specific Android handset: No. The only non-Apple handset I think is interesting is the Lumia 800.* Hackability: No, I don't want to admin things - and if I need to hack an iPhone there is enough ability to do so with a developer account.

In total: Bring something interesting and I'll consider it next time, but so far it seems that the only trick Android makers know is making them bigger, which is hard sell when I'd really like something smaller.

I subscribe to a lot of podcasts. Currently I use itunes to manage them, and things update well regardless of which device I listen to content on.

I have seen a few products that *might* do this, but am not sure.

I subscribed to the "Stuff you missed in history class" and "Stuff you should know" podcasts through iTunes. They show up in the Google Play web player under genre "Podcasts." I also subscribed to 4 courses on iTunes U. That appears in Google Player under genre "iTunes U." They sync like my other songs.

One caveat: iTunes downloads these podcasts, then Google Play syncs whatever is in the iTunes folder. Ergo: If it doesn't appear in iTunes, it won't appear in Google Play. So you still have to open iTunes and let it download your podcasts. That's not a big issue for me, because I always have iTunes open on my iMac.

I'm an unlikely candidate to switch because I've already drunk the Apple/iTunes/iCloud/App Store kool-aid in a big way. But to make it possible, I'd need the following:

1. Assurance of two years of OS updates (from the day I buy the phone, not the release date), delivered in a very timely fashion.2. Additional polish in both hardware and interface design. Particularly hardware. No one else is making kit that looks or feels remotely as nice as any iPhone since the 4. I really don't understand why it is so hard to compete with Apple in industrial design (in PCs as well as phones); the only thing I can think of is that other makers just don't think it matters. For me, they're very wrong.

I would also need to find these things in a phone without any crap specs (e.g., Pentile screens, sub-day battery life).

This poll must have been written by someone who doesn't understand why consumers use Apple products and services at all. The features and functions presented in the poll are seen by Google proponents as advantages hence anyone who prefers those features and functions is likely already an Android-based smartphone user.

Native Access to the ecosystem with the most high quality content internationalized and localized in the most regions

Native apps to allow users to track the location of their iOS device, or Mac with the ability to see the device's approximate location on a map, display a message or play a sound on the device (even if it is set to silent), change the password on the device, and remotely erase its contents

I know people that say they can't switch to Android because all their apps are on iOS. So the 30 apps they bought for $0.99 are holding them back. Too much money to waste. Then they buy a new iPhone off contract for hundreds of dollars because they can't wait another year for their contract to run out and get a new subsidized iPhone. It seems to me the reason people SAY they will or won't switch has no relation to the real reason they will or won't switch.

Ecosystem, but not the "Google" ecosystem in the vote. What I mean is, a VERY strong support for accessories in addition to a better App & media store.

iPhones have an almost impossibly robust ecosystem because of the few models, combined with their popularity. Want an actual battery-case (not just another loose brick)? I've got, what, a half-dozen more choices than for any particular Android handset.

The issue is, if I'm not chafed by Apple's walled garden, and I'm not, why would I want to switch? I said a particular handset in the vote. It would have to be amazingly cool to me.

I'm a geek but I just don't hack my phone, no more than I play video games on my must-get-stuff-done home PC. You don't mess with your bread-and-butter. I've got two other PC's and two game consoles for that itch.

Android has so many gaps compared to Apple's ecosystem, but the list posted here doesn't mention any of them. It's completely coming at the question from the wrong direction.

I use AirPlay on my iOS devices almost every single day. It's baffling to me that this list doesn't include any sort of equivalent feature. I absolutely wouldn't switch to a phone or tablet that couldn't somehow blast a video to my TV (preferably it would actually be Apple TV compatible, and not require me to buy a new TV dongle, but that may be asking too much). [EDIT: no, physically hooking the device up to the TV is not a substitute!]

I would be leaving behind hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars of iTunes video content if I switched to Android as well. I cut cable years ago and we watch shows on Apple TV and Netflix instead. Even if I was okay starting my library from scratch, I don't think there is really an equivalent store on Android, is there? Sure, they have a store with content in it, but is their catalog anywhere as big as Apple's? Last I checked, Amazon was a distant second, and Google was nowhere near. Yes, they all have obvious big-name stuff, but what about stuff like TLC and Discovery Channel?

I also want a platform that gets updates the day they were released, just because I'm like that. (So it'd have to be a Nexus, probably.) And I want it to look professional and clean. For too long, Android was so focused on looking techno and geeky that I think they really limited their audience. The old font was an abomination; at least Roboto is half-decent. Actually, that's another issue that no one mentions--Android doesn't have fonts!! They need to add in the basics like Helvetica and Times New Roman so that web pages can at least look mostly as they are intended to look. That's kind of a no-brainer IMO.

The questions show the author's biases quite clearly. I have a feeling you don't get it.

I did not buy my iPhone for the hardware nor for some dork's checklist of features. I like its software ecosystem, its elegance (including what it does NOT do), and how it looks and feels in my hand. No bolted-on geegaw is going to make an Android phone nicer than my 4S.

A huge leap in functionality or value could get me to switch, I suppose. It would have to be something truly special and unprecedented.

For example: fast, unlimited, worldwide data/voice networking for less than <$100/year, with cable TV, Netflix, and Spotify accessibility bundled in.

Considering that I already have a large number of apps on my iPhone that I'm very happy with, and my iPhone works so well with my Apple computers and AppleTV, an Android phone would have to offer some kind of truly amazing feature or enormously better user experience that Apple would not be able to match in a reasonable period of a year or so.

It is difficult to imagine what that could be. Merely imitating Apple, cutting the price, or offering incremental improvements in iPhone features certainly wouldn't do it. Essentially, Android would need to offer an Apple-like quantum leap in the quality of the user experience.

-Better apps. Typically the iOS version looks the same or better than the Android equivalent of the same app. Very seldom if ever is the reverse true.-Larger app ecosystem, as well as better selection of movies, music, etc.-More consistent update routine. Right now, it's a crapshoot on whether your phone can even get an upgrade at all. Installing custom ROMs does not count. The average user is either not capable or does not care to do this themselves.-Not allowing OEMs or carriers to install apps that cannot be uninstalled by the user. -Bloatware-A more consistent UI/UX. Again, it takes consulting experts to guess whether a phone will give you the experience you are looking for. With iOS, you already know you will like it or hate it.-Ease of use. Some Android functions and workflows are unnecessarily overly-complicated. While iOS may be "stale" to some, it is simple enough for young children/senior citizens/otherwise technophobic to figure out intuitively in no time at all. iOS clearly has a less steep learning curve for the beginner.-Only require one button to use, rather than 3-4.-Not being dependent on the OEM's or carriers to decide whether you can receive an update on your phone if you want it. The ICS and JB in the lower tens to single digits in marketshare, while iOS 6 is being allowed on the 3+ year old iPhone 3GS.-Touchwiz, MOTOBlur, Sense, etc. Yeech!

On the hardware side, I would like:

-A body/frame that has some thought to it, rather than the crap, plastic, chintzy candybars or phablets they are putting out now as "premium" phones. Plastic backs that feel cheap to the feel, or fall off/don't fit properly. I'm talking to you, Samsung and HTC.-Better cameras. While Android phone cameras have gotten better, they still haven't caught up with Apples or Nokias current offerings.

Going from iPhone to a Google phone is typically like trading in a rolex for a Mickey Mouse watch. While there are some obvious exceptions (Google Nexus is actually a pretty good phone!), that is the status quo on average.

Android = poor mans iPhone to me. I just don't see the advantage to going to Android. Obviously YMMV, so the above is my opinion only. Just the way I see it.

Until they fix the utterly dire and all but non-existent accessibility in Android there's no way I'll consider using one again. I just want to not have to carry a magnifying glass around with me to use my phone.

I want to love android but I severely dislike it. Every android phone I see just looks tacky, with animated wallpapers and daft animations when swiping between menus- they stutter and lag when scrolling, and my girlfriends Samsung Apollo or whatever (which broken a week) had background running processes I had to kill..

That sort of shit I do not want to do on a phone, android is a gimmicky, messy, ugly OS.. And the phones more so. I used a galaxy s3 and the screen is yucky- it has a horrible off white tint and just doesn't seem 'sharp'

The thing is, they could make it thrash the hell out of IOS.. I love customisable features, its jus that the phones and OS feel so damn unpolished.

I find it hard to believe you used an S3...basically your description sounds completely at odds with what I see on mine. It's a great looking screen, with a PPI (319) only marginally less than "Retina", larger size and higher resolution than iPhone5, and as far as lag goes...there is none. It's very snappy and responsive.

I can promise I have.. I mean the s3's lag wasn't as bad as most other android phones but I certainly noticed it. The screen.. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the colour temperature seemed very blue, and the edges of items on the screen just didn't seem sharp- I expected to be amazed but I was very underwhelmed!

I can certainly understand why people would like them, and more power to you if you do, they just d not sit right with me- however much mwould really like them to!

Faster update stream for the OS. Security vulnerabilities are no joke.

The OS itself updates very quickly. The Nexus phones provide evidence of this.

The original post means some kind of guarantee that when an OS update is available, I'm not waiting for a carrier to push it out. I was about to defend this a bit but I went to Google.com/Nexus and found that even the nexus phone shows "soon with Android 4.1." SOON? It's Google's own phone!

Galaxy Nexus is already on JB 4.1 and has been for a little while now. They probably should update their site

Am I the only one that wants a smaller display? I have an iPhone 4s, there are times it feels too heavy and bulky. If I want to watch a movie, I'm not going to do it on a 5" screen. I want about a 3" screen. just enough to play simple games, check email, and small enough that it doesn't look like I have a brick in my pocket.

Try the Sony Xperia U. It is still 3.5", but because that is 16:9 instead of 4:3 it is much more compact than any iPhone.

Given additionally that American media like Ars here completely ignored the best Android manufacturer entirely in their last survey -- Sony -- then it's no wonder so many Americans are fooled into buying inferior iDevices.

I made the switch from the iPhone to Android in the last year or so and it was mostly because I absolutely hated iTunes. I hated needing to use that program to back up my phone, to synchronize it, to load music, to update apps. The battery life on my iPhone 3GS was crap, too, and I was using ATT which loved showing full 3G connection but dropped calls and failed to transfer data but iTunes was the deal-breaker. I even forgave the damned device when an update wiped out all the music from the phone and the shared directory (I had a backup, of course but I lost all my song ratings).

I briefly considered looking for a replacement for iTunes or setting up wifi at home but then I had a revelation -- the phone was the problem.

The Android Nexus has been consistently surprisingly good about things I didn't think I'd care about before I got one. I love having current weather and last e-mail message on the "home" screen without needing to go into the applications themselves. I love the pattern unlock. I love the Google Voice integration (and I never thought I would get a Google Voice number). I found out by accident that it has turn-by-turn directions - with voice! It can cache web pages for off-line viewing (the iPhone would "helpfully" clear the cache and try to re-load the pages which worked horribly in the subway). I love the varied tones for alerts. I love moving files to and from the device like a normal USB hard drive. And all my apps update through 3/4G (except I had to use the wifi at work to get Jelly Bean a couple weeks earlier) and I can even browse a web page on my computer and have my phone download the app without connecting my phone to anything except 3/4G which is cool as hell.

Sure, Google now owns all my data. That bothers me a bit but no where near as much as iTunes did. Seriously, EA's Origin application is better than iTunes and Origin is a buggy mess.

Don't all of those features already exist? What exactly is the point of a speculative poll without any speculation?

I'm happily using an iPhone, and that won't change until Android offers a better user experience.

Yeah I really don't understand the point of this poll. Android already has all the options. Even if it's not available stock add-ons, apps or custom firmware provides pretty much limitless capability to get your phone doing whatever you wanted.

A better poll would have been to target those of us who don't like iOS and ask what would it take for us to get an iOS device.

Overall, better hardware. I love the android os, it's not just a casual end user experience, it has more than that. The hardware/feel of the phone itself is where droid phones seem "dated", most of them feel cheap and although, iphones haven't changed drastically, iphones, imo, is a more solid product.

They'd have to redesign Android from the ground up before I'd be interested again. I've used an Android phone for two years, and there are so many usability issues I don't know where to start. Like the back button behavior being totally inconsistent, or the pains of managing/syncing your music, or the glitchy GPS. Here's a fun usability test: hand someone an android phone and ask them to delete an app.

I have a CS degree and I do sysadmin work for my job. I don't want to be sysadmin for my phone, too. I'm glad that people are tinkering with it, but as a daily driver phone it's still years behind the iphone for usability.

As 'Zac B' already pointed out, many of these features already exist on Android. Anyone that picks any of these existing features is effectively lying, because they would've already switched to Android.

One feature that may entice iPhone users to switch to Android: an iOS VM to run iPhone apps?

You missed the most important feature...BLUETOOTH!!! ...I hate guyz who say they love Iphone bcoz its a status symbol....It clearly means that you would better buy a $1000 stone that can makes calls, won't you?

I don't understand this poll. Android phones already have all of these things, so clearly no one still using an iPhone would switch for any of these reasons. It would make more sense (unless I'm missing something) to list features that Android phones don't have, like better color gamut or iCloud integration or something.

Nearly everything on the list applies. And then some. I did not enjoy my iphone, itunes or the environment. I've been using the Mac OS for over ten years, so I knew what I was getting in to. The opinionated nature of the Mac OS, which I can generally shrug off on the desktop/laptop side, was just to closed in for me on the phone/app side and I just kept hitting the walls of the garden.

When I plugged my S3 in to my desktop for the first time saw all my folders it was just such a revelation. It's been nothing but great from there on.

Now, I'm not worried about getting jelly bean or anything from that "got a have it" side of things. I have ICS and it's more than good enough for now. If I ever feel the need to upgrade the OS and Samsung isn't obliging I will drop in a third party build like something from the CM team.

Oh, and I love the fact that my next piece of hardware could be from any of a number of manufactures and I would still be able to migrate all my apps and data with ease.

So what's really missing from your poll, what you really have not captured, or what I would surmise you have missed, is this:

This whole poll question seems a little odd to me. By my (admittedly quick and possibly imprecise) calculation, android phones make up a little more than 47% of the responses to the first poll. This would seem to me to be a more significant portion than the "significant portion" of iOS users, so shouldn't the second poll be about what Apple could do to draw in those users rather than the other way around?

They'd have to redesign Android from the ground up before I'd be interested again. I've used an Android phone for two years, and there are so many usability issues I don't know where to start. Like the back button behavior being totally inconsistent, or the pains of managing/syncing your music, or the glitchy GPS. Here's a fun usability test: hand someone an android phone and ask them to delete an app.

I have a CS degree and I do sysadmin work for my job. I don't want to be sysadmin for my phone, too. I'm glad that people are tinkering with it, but as a daily driver phone it's still years behind the iphone for usability.

Settings -> Apps -> Uninstall/Remove App? That's basically the same as uninstalling one off of Windows and people are able to do that alright

Native Access to the ecosystem with the most high quality content internationalized and localized in the most regions

No, I don't think that would make me switch.

Quote:

Native apps to allow users to track the location of their iOS device, or Mac with the ability to see the device's approximate location on a map, display a message or play a sound on the device (even if it is set to silent), change the password on the device, and remotely erase its contents

This might be missing. But isn't that a feature of MobileMe? It's not available to everyone. So in that case I should look if there's a LocateMyPhone app in the Android Market.

All my android devices have had at least 1 update to a new major version of Android without putting on a custom ROM. Just because some people are buying phones from manufacturers that don't do this doesn't mean the whole ecosystem is bad.

Florence Ion / Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.